World Cultures: Japan

Class overview

In this class we will cover both Japanese culture and language. Weekly cultural themes may include such topics as: geography, food, popular culture (anime, manga, film, etc.), folktales, etc. As for the language, students can expect to learn how to construct basic sentences, ask and answer questions, and write in hiragana. Additional topics may be covered as students express interest in them.

About me

My name is William Kay and I teach World Cultures: Japan. I am excited to be able to share my passion for Japan and East Asia with the students of Cario.

I was born and raised in Charleston and have been blessed to call the Lowcountry home for most of my life. As for university, I did my undergraduate degree at the College of Charleston. After which, I received an MSc in Japanese Society and Culture from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. A few years after graduating I decided that teaching was my passion and attended The Citadel, where I received my MAT in Secondary Education with a Social Studies concentration.

In addition to my degree programs, I also attended Kansai Gaidai University (関西外国語大学) in Osaka prefecture, Japan for one year as an exchange student from the College of Charleston. I also further pursued the study of the Japanese language at Middlebury College's summer language immersion program; twice for Japanese and once for Korean. Most recently I also attended their summer Bread Loaf program for literary translation.

My hobbies include studying the Japanese (there is always more to learn) and Korean languages, reading Japanese literature, reading the author's of the "Lost Generation" (think Hemmingway), consuming popular culture, and traveling around Europe and Asia visiting friends from the time I was a university student.

Grading Policy

  • Projects (x2) = 40%

  • Quizzes = 30%

  • Classwork = 30%

This class will have two projects for students to complete, for which they will be given ample class time to work on them. Combined with daily classwork, the majority of the student's grade will come from in-class work. Quizzes, which focus on the student's grasp of the Japanese language will constitute the remaining 30% of their grade.

Behavior expectations

The Japanese language is considered to be one of the more difficult languages to learn for native English speakers. While in class, students are expected to be focused on their assignments and complete their work. Students who distract from the ability of others to focus on their work will be given a warning. If the behavior persists parents can expect to be notified.

It is my hope to have a wonderful experience in class exploring the rich culture of Japan and it's language. As the 3rd largest economy in the world and the home of many popular culture phenomena (Pokémon, Naruto, Nintendo, Mario, Sonic, Godzilla, etc.) Japan presents a wealth of ancient and modern topics to explore and engage all students.